Brick-tongs.



No. 764,059. v PATENTED JULY 5, 1904.

' s.s.LANGP0 RD.

BRIGK ToNGs..

APPLIOATION FILED MAB.. 5, 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented July 5, 1904.

SAMUEL S. LANGFORD, OF CRAIG, NEBRASKA.

BRICK-TONGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,059, dated July 5,1904.

Application filed March 5, 1904. Serial No. 196,664. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, SAMUEL S. LANeroRn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Craig, in the county of Burt and State of Nebraska,haveinvented a new and useful Brick-Tongs, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to devices for carrying an object or a pluralityof objects, more particularly for carrying bricks from place to place,either in removing them from the kilns, in building' operations, or forany other desired purpose, and has for its object to provide asimply-constructed device which may be readily and quickly applied toand released from the object or material to be carried and employing'one hand only and which may be readily adjusted to different sizes andforms of objects.

IV ith these and other objects in view, which will appear as the natureof the invention is better understood, the same consists in certainnovel features of construction, as hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andin which corresponding' parts are denoted by like designatingcharacters, is illustrated the preferred form of the embodiment of theinvention capable of carrying the same into practical operation, itbeing understood that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto,as various changes in the shape, proportions, and general assemblage ofthe parts may be resorted to without departing from the principle of theinvention or sacrificing any of its advantages, and the right istherefore reserved of making all the changes and modifications whichfairly fall within the scopeof the invention and the claims madetherefor.

In the drawings thus employed, Figure 1 is a perspective view of thedevice detached from its load. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of thedevice applied. Fig. 3 is transverse section, enlarged, at 3 3 of Fig.1.

The improved device consists of two members 11, having grip-plates 1213, respectively, at their ends and preferably integral therewith andextending at right angles therefrom. The member 10 is forked at the endopposite to its grip-plate, as at 11i, and with spaced transverseapertures 15 through the forked portion'. The member 11 is insertedwithin the forked portion of the member 10 and lprovided with atransverse aperture to enable it to be adjustably connected to themember 10 by a bolt or pin 16, as will be ob- 4 side formed with adepending lip 21 and with,Y

theV exterior surface 22 inclined. The cavity is to receive the free end23 of the member 11 to form a readilydetachable coupling means betweenthe members 10 and 11 when no load is being carried, as hereinafter morefully explained.

In operating the device the member 11 is adjusted relative to the member10 to enable the grip-plates 12 13 to freely pass over the object orobjects to be carriedfor instance, a number of bricks-as at 24, when themember 11 is depressed and its end 23 inserted into the cavity 20 in thecatch 19. By this means the unloaded device can be conveniently carriedabout by the handle-loop 17, and the latter being centrally disposed thedevice will be balanced when thus transported. In this condition thedevice can be set down over the requisite number of the bricks and thecatch 19 released either by turning it to one side by one of the lingersof the hand which grasps the handle-loop 17 or depressing the member 11and moving it slightly to one side. rlhen by lifting the device themember 11 is transformed into a very strong gripping-lever, which firmlycompresses the bricks between the grip-plates 12 13 and causes them tobe lifted with the device and carried to any desired point.

When the load is to be discharged, itis only necessary to set it downwhere it is to remain and depress the member 11 and insert its end 23into the cavity 20, which can be readily and quickly accomplished bysliding it over the inclined surface 22 of the catch, when the devicecan be lifted from its load and carriedl back for another load.

It will be noted that the whole operation can be performed with onehand, and, if required, one of the devices may be used by each hand,thus doubling the capacity of the operator without inconvenience.

The operator by a very small amount of practice can easily operate thedevice with one hand only and can transport a much greater quantity ofbricks or other goods or material in the same time and with less fatiguethan will be possible with other forms of carriers.

In operating the device the movements required to manipulate it are soslight that they will be performed intuitively after -using for a shorttime, and the loads can be picked up,

carried tothe required point, and there dfischarged with the expenditureof no `more time or labor `than would be required to pick up and carrysimilar-sized loads having permanent Ihandles attached.

As before stated, while vthe device may be readily adapted for carryingdifferent sizes and forms of objects or groups of objects it is moreparticularly applicable to the transportation of `bricks and similarartic-les and will be found very convenient for use in kilns,storage-yards, in building operations, and other localities where bricksare to be transported by hand.

The device will preferably be of steel as light as may be consistentwith the strains to which it will be subjected and may be of any desiredsize to adapt it to the article to be carried.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed isi l. A device ofthe class describedcomprising two members pivotally united and havingoppositcly-disposed grips, and a catch carried by one of said membersfor detachable engagcment with the other member when no load ispositioned between the grips.

2. A device of the class described comprising two 'members pivotallyunited and having oppositely-disposed grips, one of said members havinga handle-loop centrally of the united members, and a catch carried byone of said members for detachable engagement with the other member whenno load is positioned between the grips.

3. A device of the class described comprising two members pivotallyunited and having oppositely-disposed grips, and a catch carried byone`of said members for detachable engagement with the other member whenno load is positioned between the grips, said catch mem` ber having alimited lateral `movement upon the bar on which it is mounted.

4. A device ofthe classdescribed comprising two members piif'otallyunited and having oppositely-disposed grips,and a catchcarried by one ofsaid members and having a cavity for receiving the other member, andinclined exteriorly to guide the member into the-cavity.

5. A'device of the class `descr-ibedcomprising two mem-bers pivotallyunited and having oppositcly-disposed grips, one of said members havinga transverse recess, a catch supported for limited lateral movementinsaid recess for detachable engagement `with-the other member.

6. A device of thc class described comprising two members pivotallyunited and lmving oppositely-disposed grips, and a catch carried by oneof said members and formed with arecess terminating in adcpendingliptocontract the inlet thereto for detachable engagement with the othermember.

1n testimony that 1 claim .the foregoing as my own I have heretoaflixedmy signature `in the `presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL S. LANGFORD.

Witnesses:

E. J. MARTIN, J. MARTIN.

